This week’s Monkey Clip is dedicated to Lalon Amin of Bangla Awaz, the Labour party’s lackey and editor of the Malcolm Fanzine, Papa John Szymanski, editor of the local news snoozepaper and Ahmed Khan the ‘camera shy’ councillor who seems to love nothing more than a headline or two.

Judging by the comments on Indy councillor Khan’s twitter page it seems the local Labour party is leaking like a sieve. Either that or councillor Khan has at least one mole in the Labour ranks or is being feed information by a disgruntled council officer who is sick of the current regime.

According to councillor Khan, yesterday’s joint monthly Labour party meeting agreed to accept the council leader’s recommendations on Special Education Needs schools. This means that the Labour party has performed a u turn on the SEN review and was worried about the prospect of having to face the wrath of an increasingly militant and determined group of parents and supporters who are fighting to save theirschools or are they more worried about losing their seats at the next election?

Apparently the Labour party has now agreed to ..

Keep Bamburgh school open
Keep Oakleigh Gardens school open and merge it with Greenfields
Close Epinay school

It seems that councillor Khan’s mole has unwittingly – or was it deliberately – scuppered councillor Iain Malcolm’s plan to spin the truth and announce the news when it best suited him.

Message to Graham Rigg and David Potts (I know they’re avid readers of this blog, so they’ll see this)

Over the past few days, Graham Rigg and David Potts have been having a right old time of it while Mr Monkey has been busy moving house.

Rigg, with plenty of time on his hands as an unemployed man whose been a bit of a failure in life (still in an upstairs flat in your mid 50s, Graham? There are crisis loans for things like that…) has thrown some horrific slurs his way.

But let us not forget: with more members than any of the other opposition groups, they’re still the biggest opposition group. They’re THE political success story in this borough’s history.

No political party has came anywhere near achieving their kind of success in modern times in South Tyneside.

The Tories have three councillors, as do the Lib Dems. The Tories havemade NO gains during David Potts tenure as leader, despite Labour disintegrating nationally over the past five years. Surely questions have to be asked about his competence?

The Progressives, once a dominant political force in the borough, have just five councillors and their hanging on by their finger tips. Take Jim Capstick he scrapped through by just three votes at the last elections.

So tell us, which group/party is doing things wrong…

I personally believe that Rigg and Potts hate the Independent Alliance because they don’t believe in democracy. They believe candidates should be vetted by old school parties, given the nod by party chiefs, and then step forward for election. It’s an insiders world, and they want it to stay that way.

Take councillor Ahmed Khan for instance, they don’t believe a member of the public, (A BLASTED OUTSIDER!) unsoiled by previous political roles, should stand and be duly elected. They don’t want to see the local political gentleman’s club fall apart, worse still their cosy little world being exposed for all to see.

Well Mr Monkey has news for Rigg, Potts and the ruling elite; there are more ‘councillor Khan’s’ on the way.

The Independents are still the official opposition group on the council. The Progressives also vote alongside them. They’re still close. They are a force to be reckoned with.

If you want confirmation of this go to the next council meeting on 12th May. You’re certain to see the Independent Alliance doing the job they were elected to do – oppose the ruling party. On the other hand you’ll see the Tories happily accepting a few tit-bits (PAID OF COURSE), handed out by Labour in a desperate attempt to buy their loyalty for the next 12 months.

Despite what Rigg says, since when have political groups standing in tinpot local elections had to have extensive manifestos and policies?

If so, point me in the direction of the weighty manifestos put forward by local councillors at the last election…You can’t – you’re talking bullshit. They put out double-sided A5 leaflets outlining how they’d improved their wards – they didn’t put out 20-year plans for tourism and business in the town.

At local level it’s about sound money, sound running of the council, competence, honesty and integrity. With a leader and deputy leader who’ve been big business successes themselves, I trust them to do just that.

Why aren’t they that forthcoming about what they “would” do? Probably because there’s no chance of them forming an executive to run the council for two or three years. So why live in fantasy land when they can tell the public what they’ll OPPOSE. When they’re close to seeing the opposition make it into power, they’ll tell the public what they’ll do. If the public like it, they’ll keep on voting. If they don’t, watch them lose their seats.

Just one question, Curly – do you ever get in touch with people you’re about to slur to ask for their take on your inaccurate claims?

Seems councillors Khan and Potts are set to continue their rivalry outside the council chamber as the King of Sleaze, Tory Boy David Potts has taken a leaf out of the Indy councillor’s book and has become a twat twit.

But a quick look at Pudgy Faces twitters confirms what most people already know – he’s obsessed with money and couldn’t careless about the people he represents. In 2 days he’s tweeted 29 times and there’s only one mild reference to his work as a councillor.

Mr Monkey reckons bloggers should keep a close eye on these 2 twittering councillors as it will be interesting to see whether councillor Potts takes councillor Khan up on his offer for a cup of coffee.

Alternatively councillor Khan could pop into the Atlantic Bar around 10am any day of the week, he’s bound to bump into The King of Sleaze enjoying his usual liquid breakfast of a couple of glasses of red wine!

This week’s Twat Twit of the Week award goes to Independent councillor Ahmed Khan who according to the Shields Gazette Labour Gazetteer loves nothing better than a twitter.

It seems councillor Khan has joined the fastest growing phenomenon on the internet and becomes the first councillor in South Tyneside to be officially classed as a twat twit.

Mr Monkey reckons it won’t be long before councillor Khan is joined by some of his colleagues – apparently being a twat twit is fashionable. But for others like the King of Sleaze, Tory councillor David Potts, it’s a chance for him to live up to his reputation and for his twat like antics to be finally recognised!

Yes January 27th is the day when people throughout the world remember the victims of the Nazi Holocaust and of more recent genocides in Cambodia, Darfur, Bosnia, Rwanda, Iraq and Palestine.

Numerous ceremonies to remember the victims of these atrocities have taken place up and down the country including here in South Tyneside where each year the Mayor hosts a ceremony on behalf of the people of the borough to make the occasion.

Apparently today’s guests included a select band of children, members of the public, church goers, a few council officers, a handful of councillors and the usual band of Labour party activists – Mr Monkey is still waiting for details of these scrounging bastards but can confirm that Pat Morris and Jack Brown were seen loitering around the buffet table.

The ceremony itself apparently included several readings, recitals, a prayer, and a few words (via letters) from our local MP’s. There was also a flower laying and candle lighting ceremony.

Mr Monkey can confirm that although today’s ceremony was well attended it seems most councillors, executive directors of the council and business leaders couldn’t be bothered to turn up.

According to a source inside the town hall only 11 councillors out of a possible 54 had the decency to make an appearance, these included: councillors Alex Donaldson, John Anglin, Peter Boyack, Jim Foreman, Ahmed Khan, Jane Branley, Joan Meeks, Tom Piggot, Jimmy Sewell, Ernest Gibson and Alan Kerr.

The King of Sleaze Tory Boy David Potts and his two stooges Wood and Millburn, all three Liberal Democrats, the two representatives of the We’ve Finally Made Our Mind Up Party Real Independents councillors Lurch and Red Rum Haram and Elsom plus their new lackey Tom Defty were all conspicuous by their absence.

Apparently the Progressives didn’t bother turning up because they still think its 1986.

Mr Monkey reckons that each and every one of you lazy bastards who couldn’t be bothered to turn up should hang your heads in shame – in the words of the King of Sleaze .. “you’re a disgrace”.